In the early days, automotive vehicles were washed by hand. The service people who performed this task commercially were equipped with large, spongy mittens or mitts with which they scrubbed the vehicle. As time went on, and mechanized units took over the functions of such personnel, the mechanized units were named "Mitters" because of the analogy of function.
Such units now are widely employed commercially in various styles and operating designs. Almost universally, they employ a plurality of "mitter curtains" consisting of a wide length of carpeting, heavy fabric, chamois or a plastic material divided into long strips and applied to the vehicle to be washed with a reciprocating or oscillating motion. Although widely used, because of the diversity of the vehicles to which they are applied, the speed with which they are operated, and their reciprocating or oscillating motion, various and assorted problems still attend their use.
Among these problems may be mentioned their complexity and high cost, their tendency to mechanical failure because of the high speed of their operation, particularly in torque situations; the tendency of the mitter curtain strips to become entangled with each other and "ball-up"; and the tendency of such strips to slam against or spiral around vehicle mirrors, windshield wipers, radio antennae, outside lights and tires, and other projecting appurtenances with which a vehicle may be equipped. Also, there are areas such as roof overhangs and sloping surfaces which they do not reach effectively.
It accordingly is the general purpose of the present invention to provide a car wash mitter assembly which overcomes in large measure the foregoing problems associated with the mitter assemblies of the prior art.
It is another important purpose of the present invention to provide such a mitter assembly which is simple in design, of relatively low manufacturing and operating cost; adaptable for use with a wide variety of automotive vehicles; and of long service life.
Generally stated, the rotary, overhead, car wash mitter assembly which accomplishes the foregoing and other purposes of the invention comprises in combination with an elevated supporting structure, at least one pair of rotating mitter units ("orbitals"). Each unit comprises a mitter curtain assembly including a plurality of mitter curtains.
Mounting means rotatably mount the mitter units on the supporting structure above the vehicle throughway, opposite each other. Each mitter unit overlies one side portion of the throughway and accordingly of the vehicle which is the subject matter of the washing procedure. Motor means connect to the mitter units for rotating them at a relatively slow, substantially continuous speed, in opposite directions of rotation. Preferably, there are two pairs of counter rotating mitter units.
There thus is provided for the first time a mitter assembly comprising elevated, slowly rotating "orbitals" which are mounted above the vehicle and which wash effectively all of its surfaces substantially without damage to projecting appliances, or to the mitter components themselves.